Iconic Asia Cup Moments: Reliving 4 thrilling finals of Asia Cup history

Since 1984, numerous editions of the Asia Cup have been played. India has the most title wins (7), followed by Sri Lanka (6), and Pakistan (2). Talking about this, Bangladesh has made it to the final thrice (2012, 2016, and 2018). Meanwhile, over the years, there have been many finals that have been close affairs. In this listicle, we will discuss four finals that have been nerve-wracking for the players and the fans alike.

Four thrilling finals of the Asia Cup history

Asia Cup 2004 final (Image Credit: Twitter)

1. Sri Lanka vs India 2004

In the summit clash of the 2004 event, the home team, Sri Lanka batted first after winning the toss. After having a tough start (31/2), the team did well in the middle-overs. However, they went on to lose wickets and ended up getting 228/9.

However, in reply, India kept losing wickets on the other end while Sachin Tendulkar kept on battling. Lower-order batters such as Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan tried to win the game but they fell short by 25 runs. 

Asia Cup 2012 (Image Credit: Twitter)

2. Bangladesh vs Pakistan 2012

In what was the maiden final appearance for the Tigers, Bangladesh, they fought against Pakistan. The Tigers managed to tame the Shaheens to 236/9 at the end of the first innings. Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzaq, and Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets each.

In reply, the home side, Bangladesh suffered in an easy run chase due to extremely slow batting Nazimuddin and Nasir Hossain. In the end, the team lost the game by two runs despite other players managing to make up for the slow batting of their two batters.   

Asia Cup 2016 (Image Credit: Twitter)

3. Bangladesh vs India 2018

In what was the first-ever T20 Asia Cup, India and Bangladesh locked horns in the summit clash. Ahead of the game, some Bangladesh fans took it too far as someone painted a picture of Taskin Ahmed holding MS Dhoni's chopped head.

During the game, both teams managed to play a close game but eventually, the Men In Blue ended up winning the 15-over game by eight wickets.   

Asia Cup 2018 final (Image Credit: Twitter)

4. India vs Bangladesh 2018

Two years later, both teams once again faced each other. In this game, the Green Brigade lost the toss and batted first. They had a great start as the openers amassed 120 runs for the first wicket. However, in the middle overs, they lost their way and were bowled out for 222 runs.

Despite defending a low total, the Tigers managed to keep themselves in the game. In the end, India managed to defend their title on the last ball of the game.